Big Three to Post Better Third Quarter Results

10/11/96

Reuters has reported that strong demand for light trucks and few production problems have boosted the Big Three Detroit automakers' combined profits to nearly $2 billion in the third quarter. Analysts say that figure exceeds last year's third quarter results by a healthy margin.

Traditionally, the third quarter brings the industry's weakest quarterly results, because consumers save for and take summer vacations, and manufacturers do a lot of model changeovers. This year, however, strong minivan and truck production from Chrysler and Ford have led to strong profits for those automakers, pushing results for the entire industry.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel